katie3000

Thank you for your support. I will keep you posted as to what happens, the meeting with the council is on the 15th May.

They have said their insurance will not cover us on site, but they only looked into insurance cover a month after they banned us from going there. Many councils including one near by, have written into their tenancy agreements that they will not be held liable for the health and safety of any allotment tenant or visitors on site. I have tried to explaining to them that I have my own public liability insurance to cover us, they have also just rented out a plot to the local scouts group. The councillor who raised the issue of us being on site was the same councillor I made a complaint about, unfortunately once something has been raised at a council meeting it has to be looked into, it would have made their life a lot easier if someone else had made the complaint. I know that all the surrounding council both village and large town councils are happy to have childminders on their allotment sites, but I don't drive which would make it impossible for us to get to them, it's only our village council that saying this and they have a number of vacant plots currently.

Which part of the 1922 Allotment Act are they saying is applicable here? I'm not an expert by the way but I can understand why you are annoyed, and I would want to get the bit between my teeth if they wanted to stop me. You are not really using it for business use or selling produce presumably?

the parish council are quoting

(1)For the purposes of this Act, where the context permits -

The expression "allotment garden" means an allotment not exceeding forty poles in extent which is wholly or mainly cultivated by the occupier for the production of vegetable or fruit crops for consumption by himself or his family;

no definitely not selling any produce, the children are just helping to grow some fruit and vegetables.

I used to take the children to the local allotment when I worked at a church pre-school. It was never a problem. I think our local infant school have a plot on the adjoining allotments. I would have thought that they should be encouraging you not stopping you.

 

Perhaps one of those lovely allotment people has made a complaint! I watched a programme about it a while ago, they can be really awful. Perhaps your cabbages are bigger than theirs!

it was a councillor who raised the issue, not any of the tenants.

I have successfully rented an allotment from my local parish council for the last three years, they were fully aware that I was a childminder when I applied and was planning to take the children in my care to the site. Just over a month ago my parish council decided to stop me from doing this, claiming that I was breaking the 1922 Allotment Act.

I know that many councils throughout the country are happy to have childminders, nurseries and pre-schools on their allotment sites and this is where you can help. In a couple of weeks time I am having a meeting with the council to try and find a way forward and what I would like to be able to do is to show them, is that the 1922 Allotment Act is not a law that is in forced nationwide as they are claiming.

If your setting rents an allotment or if you know of another setting that does, could you please tell me whereabouts in the country you or they are, and who it's rented from?

Your help would be gratefully appreciated, not just by me but by the children who love going to the allotment and their families.